Carthaginian Government
Although the Carthaginian government was a mixture of many things, it is mostly considered an Oligarchy, or rule by a few. Much of what we know about Carthaginian government comes from the Greek philosopher, Aristotle, who admired its government. Similarly to Rome, two elected officials, known as Suffetes, were in charge of the government. Candidacy for government was restricted to the rich, so Carthage did not have many democratic aspects. Citizens were consulted only when deemed necessary. Carthage also had a senate of elders, with an inner cabinet of 30. Carthage had a judicial board, made up of 104 members. Carthaginian and Roman government look eerily similar, right? Well, Rome wasn't built in a day. Many aspects of Carthaginian government were also found in Roman government, and because Carthage is much older than Rome, it can be concluded that much of Roman government was based of off Carthaginian government. Evidently, Carthage's government was very efficient and orderly. However, Carthage did not have a citizen military, in order to avoid military dictatorships. They relied on mercenaries and small corps. Although this might have led to their defeat at the hands of Rome, Rome eventually fell to military dictatorships, which Carthage avoided. Citizenship was reserved for Carthaginian men. Women and slaves could not be citizens.
Although the Carthaginian government was a mixture of many things, it is mostly considered an Oligarchy, or rule by a few. Much of what we know about Carthaginian government comes from the Greek philosopher, Aristotle, who admired its government. Similarly to Rome, two elected officials, known as Suffetes, were in charge of the government. Candidacy for government was restricted to the rich, so Carthage did not have many democratic aspects. Citizens were consulted only when deemed necessary. Carthage also had a senate of elders, with an inner cabinet of 30. Carthage had a judicial board, made up of 104 members. Carthaginian and Roman government look eerily similar, right? Well, Rome wasn't built in a day. Many aspects of Carthaginian government were also found in Roman government, and because Carthage is much older than Rome, it can be concluded that much of Roman government was based of off Carthaginian government. Evidently, Carthage's government was very efficient and orderly. However, Carthage did not have a citizen military, in order to avoid military dictatorships. They relied on mercenaries and small corps. Although this might have led to their defeat at the hands of Rome, Rome eventually fell to military dictatorships, which Carthage avoided. Citizenship was reserved for Carthaginian men. Women and slaves could not be citizens.